CFBA Presents - PAINTED DRESSES by Patricia Hickman

This week, theChristian Fiction Blog Allianceis introducing Painted Dresses(WaterBrook Press - July 15, 2008)byPatricia Hickman


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Patricia Hickman is an award-winning author of fiction and non-fiction, whose work has been praised by critics and readers alike.

Patricia Hickman began writing many years ago after an invitation to join a writer's critique group. It was headed up by best-selling author Dr. Gilbert Morris, a pioneer in Christian fiction who has written many best selling titles. The group eventually came to be called the "Nubbing Chits". All four members of the original "Chits" have gone on to become award-winning and best selling novelists (good fruit, Gil!).

Patty signed her first multi-book contract with Bethany House Publishers. After she wrote several novels "for the market", she assessed her writer's life and decided she would follow the leanings of her heart. She says, "It had to be God leading me into the next work which wound up being my first break-out book, Katrina's Wings. I had never read a southern mainstream novel, yet I knew that one lived in my head, begging to be brought out and developed." She wanted to create deeper stories that broke away from convention and formula. From her own journey in life, she created a world based upon her hometown in the 70's, including Earthly Vows and Whisper Town from the Millwood Hollow Series.

Patty and her husband, Randy, have planted two churches in North Carolina. Her husband pastors Family Christian Center, located in Huntersville. The Hickmans have three children, two on earth and one in heaven. Their daughter, Jessi, was involved in a fatal automobile accident in 2001. Through her writing and speaking, Patty seeks to offer help, hope and encouragement to those who walk the daily road of loss and grief.

ABOUT THE BOOK

In this story of sisterhood and unexpected paths, Gaylen Syler-Boatwright flees her unraveling marriage to take refuge in a mountain cottage owned by her deceased aunt. Burdened with looking after her adult sister, Delia, she is shocked to find a trail of family secrets hidden within her aunt’s odd collection of framed, painted dresses. With Delia, who attracts trouble as a daily occupation, Gaylen embarks on a road trip that throws the unlikely pair together on a journey to painful understanding and delightful revelations.

Steeped in Hickman’s trademark humor, her spare writing voice, and the bittersweet pathos of the South, Painted Dresses powerfully captures a woman’s desperate longing to uncover a hidden, broken life and discover the liberty of living authentically, even when the things exposed are shrouded in shame.

If you would like to read the first chapter, go HERE

CFBA Presents - LOVE STARTS WITH ELLE by Rachel Hauck

This week, theChristian Fiction Blog Allianceis introducing Love Starts With Elle(Thomas Nelson - July 8, 2008)byRachel Hauck


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:




Rachel Hauck is a forty-something, a child of the '60's, '70's, '80's, '90's and '00's, who roller skated through the '70's into the '80's with Farrah Fawcet hair and a three-speed orange Camero. She graduated from Ohio State University (Go Buckeyes!) with a degree in Journalism.

After graduation, she hired on at Harris Publishing as a software trainer, determined to see the world. But, she's traveled to Ireland, Spain, Venezuela, Mexico, Australia, Canada and the U.S. from California to Maine.

Rachel met Tony, her husband, in '87, at church, of all places. They married in '92. They don't have any children of their own, just lots of kids-in-the-Lord and they love them all. However, they do have two very spoiled dogs, and a very demanding cat.

With a little help from her friends, her first book was published in '04, Lambert's Pride, a romance novel. Her current release is Sweet Caroline from Thomas Nelson. Romantic Times Book Club gave both books their highest rank of 4.5 stars, with Love Starts With Elle being honored as Top Pick!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Elle's living the dream-but is it her dream or his?

Elle loves life in Beaufort, South Carolina-lazy summer days on the sand bar, coastal bonfires, and dinners with friends sharing a lifetime of memories. And she's found her niche as the owner of a successful art gallery too. Life is good.

Then the dynamic pastor of her small town church sweeps her off her feet. She's never known a man like Jeremiah-one who breathes in confidence and exhales all doubt. When he proposes in the setting sunlight, Elle hands him her heart on a silver platter.

But Jeremiah's just accepted a large pastorate in a different state. If she's serious about their relationship, Elle will take "the call," too, leaving behind the people and place she loves so dearly. Elle's friendship with her new tenant, widower Heath McCord, and his young daughter make things even more complicated.

Is love transferrable across the miles? And can you take it with you when you go?

If you would like to read the first chapter, go HERE

JEN'S REVIEW

Elle Garvey thought the pieces of her life were falling into place, then it looks like they're falling apart. But is her life really the shambles she thinks it is? What do you do when God's plan for your life isn't what you thought it was? I've been struggling with that question myself, so this book really struck a cord with me.

Rachel Hauck has a knack for addressing spiritual truths in a non-threatening, non-preachy way. Elle is Christian girl who believes she's trusting God, until she realizes that things aren't going the way she plans. Then the control freak in her comes out. Elle's interactions with her pastor-fiancé Jeremiah, her widowed neighbor Heath, her troubled sister Julianne, and the Lord Himself are sometimes touching, sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes hilarious, but always honest.

While Love Starts With Elle can be read on its own, I highly recommend reading Sweet Caroline first. Not only will you enjoy meeting Elle for the first time, but you won't ruin the surprises that face Caroline as she is torn between two loves. There's lots of great summer reading here for you!

WIN THE BOOK

Gee, this is the third time I've been able to offer a choice. Looks like a trend! Just reply to this blog by July 11th. I'll choose a winner at random and let him or her choose either Sweet Caroline or Love Starts With Elle. Make sure to leave your email address so I can contact you if you win. (To prevent spammers from trolling for your email, please use this format with the brackets--you [at] yourmail [dot] com--or something similar.) Good luck!

Meet Nancy Jo Jenkins - Interview & Book Giveaway

It’s my pleasure to welcome Nancy Jo Jenkins, author of Coldwater Revival. Let’s meet Nancy Jo!

THE BIO

After teaching public school for twenty-one years, Nancy Jo left teaching to pursue a writing career. She loves to travel cross-country with her husband, attend writing retreats and conferences, market her book, and travel with close writing friends to gorgeous hideaways where they write, eat, laugh and brainstorm together. She and her husband have five grown children and an assortment of lively grandchildren, all within an hour’s drive of Nancy Jo’s home. She is a native Texan who lives in Austin. She enjoys reading great fiction, watching movies, entertaining in her home, and spending time with her grandchildren.

Nancy Jo has a B.S. degree from the University of Texas with dual certification in elementary and special education. She wrote curriculum for the Austin I.S.D. for several years. She has attended numerous writing conferences, workshops and retreats, and completed Lauraine Snelling’s Advanced Writers Intensive Fiction Retreat. She is a member of ACFW and a member of ACFW’s Central Texas Chapter. Two of her manuscripts were finalists in the Noble Theme Contest. Her debut novel, Coldwater Revival, is a finalist in ACFW’s Book of the Year, 2007.

THE INTERVIEW

JA: Please tell us about your debut novel, Coldwater Revival.
NJJ: Coldwater Revival is a story about the Falin family who live in southeast Texas in 1933. Three weeks before Emma Grace’s wedding, she is consumed by a burning desire to confront the guilt and shame of a devastating event that has haunted her since childhood. Coldwater Revival is a tale about a family’s shattering loss, Emma Grace’s journey toward self-destruction, and her amazing discovery of God’s love at journey’s end. While on this journey, Emma Grace finds her true love, the man she thought she’d lost forever.

JA: You’ve said this book is written with “gentle persuasion – Southern style.” What does that mean?
NJJ: To me, “gentle persuasion” means writing with “soothing power”. Sometimes a soft word holds more power than a harsh one. I’ve been told that my writing is lyrical. However I write, my “voice” comes from God, and I try to write as He leads me.

Because I’m from Texas, my speech depicts southern word choices and phrases, and probably carries a “southern twang”. Thus the “southern style”.

JA: For you, what makes the South such a unique and special setting?
NJJ: It’s not that the South is so special, but it’s where I live and what I know best. So, for the most part, I write stories that take place in the south.

JA: What do you hope people take away after reading Coldwater Revival?
NJJ: I hope readers will understand, and truly believe, that God will never abandon them. Even on our darkest days, when we can’t sense God’s presence, He is right by our sides. He promises that He will never leave us nor forsake us. And God will not break His promise.

JA: What’s next for you in the writing arena?
NJJ: Thank you, Jennifer, for asking about my next projects. I’m writing two books right now. The first one is another Texas story about a young woman who suffers dire loss. On her road to restoration, her life takes an unexpected turn. One she would never have dreamed possible. It’s a great love story and a story that offers hope to any one who has suffered loss.

The second book is about a young woman who is abandoned in the Colorado Mountains in 1870. It’s the story of her desperate attempt (crazy and hilarious, at times) to survive the harsh winter. She doesn’t understand her feelings for the stranger who offers help. She feels attracted to him, at times, and other times she’d like to send him tumbling over the cliff.

JA: What’s something that people would be surprised to learn about you?
NJJ: When I was two years old, I, along with my mother, sister, aunt and cousin, were in a house explosion. A man, (whom I consider an angel from God) entered the burning building 3 times, rescuing the two women and three small children. My mother and my aunt died from their injuries. I was hospitalized for 3 months and my sister and cousin were less injured.

I thank God for watching over us, and for sparing our lives in such a miraculous way. But I have to tell you that growing up, I terribly missed not having a mother’s love.

JA: What an amazing, bitter-sweet story. Thank you so much for sharing it with us. I’ll bet your mom looks down at you from heaven, grinning like crazy and so proud of the woman you’ve become!

Now, what do you read for fun? Are there any books you just can’t wait to dive into?
NJJ: For fun, I like to re-read my “old favorites” – books I can’t give away because they’re so precious to me. Books by Francine Rivers, LyVryle Spencer, Judith McNaught, John Grisham, and on and on. I’m also hooked on many of our ACFW authors, Deb Raney, DiAnn Mills, Kathleen Y’Barbo, Cindy Woodsmall, just to name a few.

JA: Last but not least, how can people keep up with your latest publishing news?
NJJ: I’ll be revamping my website to include a blog address in the near future. Then I’ll be putting information on my blog about upcoming publications.

Thank you, Nancy Jo, and continued blessings to you in your writing journey!

WIN THE BOOK

You can win a copy of Coldwater Revival here. Just leave a reply to this blog. I’ll combine the responses of my Blogger and ShoutLife blogs to pick a winner at random on March 31st. Please leave an email address so I can contact you if you're the winner. (To prevent spammers from trolling for your email, please use this format with the brackets--you [at] yourmail [dot] com--or something similar.) ShoutLifers will be contacted via ShoutMail. Good luck!